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“Stop Trying to Be a Hard A**”: US Soccer Legend Vents Out Frustrations on Two Core Players of the USMNT Team

Published 02/24/2023, 7:45 AM EST

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The USMNT is full of global soccer stars. The level of soccer in America has immensely excelled in the last few years. A few American stars have also gone and established themselves in other leagues across the globe. However, soccer legend Alexi Lalas had a few strong words to say about two such USMNT players.

Both of them play for the same club too in the English Premier League. The EPL has a strong representation of American players.

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However, Alexi Lalas didn’t hold back with his criticism of the two midfielders.

What did Alexi Lalas rant about?

The two soccer players in the limelight here are Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie. Both of them currently play for Leeds United in the Premier League. The fans recognize the American midfield duo as very aggressive and ‘in-the-face’ sort of players. Either of them is always ready for a mid-game bust-up with an opposition player.

On the State of the Union Podcast, Alexi Lalas quoted, “Stop trying to be a hard a** and just pass the ball and just make the tackles that you can do”. The US legend straightaway pointed out the problem. He also said that a player can gain respect and attention in different ways. He continued, “And you can still be physical and get those oohs and aahs without getting in the face of somebody every single time”.

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Lalas then claimed that Tyler Adams does go a bit overboard at times. He complained, “I love that he [Tyler Adams] stands up for himself. I love that he stands up for his teammates. But at times you look around and you’re saying what are you standing up for right now?”. He concluded by saying that it isn’t always necessary to have a fight.

He quoted, “Really there was just a hard tackle or something like that. You are creating an incident and creating an altercation where there didn’t need to be”. This isn’t the first time; Alexi Lalas has voiced his opinions on the USMNT midfielders. His strong words only beg the question, what exactly happened?

What did Adams and McKennie actually do?

Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie picked up needless yellow cards recently against Everton. The USMNT duo was involved in a heated physical argument with Dwight McNeil and Abdoulaye Doucoure. Everton’s McNeil shouldered Adams in the back to win the ball back.

Adams went to the ground and attempted to take a swipe at the Everton winger. McNeil wasn’t ready to back down and at pushed the USMNT star in the chest.

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Within a split second, McKennie came flying from outside the camera’s purview and flung his hands at the Everton winger. The referee decided to not interfere and simply book the USMNT duo for their pointless aggression. It’s important to remember that the two of them are integral to their national side too. Tyler Adams still remains the captain of the USMNT after an underwhelming FIFA World Cup campaign.

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What do you think about Alexi Lalas’ comments on the USMNT duo? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Daniel D'Cruz

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Daniel D'Cruz is a Sports Writer at EssentiallySports. Having earned his Bachelor's Degree in Mass Media and a Post Graduate Diploma in Event Planning and Experiential Marketing from St. Xavier's College, Daniel went on to have a brief stint working in the Event Industry.
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Edited by:

Sreeda U M